Introduction to Abnormal Psychology ▪ It also refers to forms of deviance that most members of

a society regard as deviant because they share similar

ideas about approved and unapproved behavior –
What is ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR murder, rape, and child abuse
▪ It is considered abnormal when it deviates from the
average norm Examples:
▪ Breaking a law
▪ It is also a behavior that is atypical or statistically ▪ Disturbing a class or public event
uncommon within a particular culture or that is ▪ Sexual behaviors or sexually explicit speech
maladaptive or detrimental to an individual or those ▪ Hurting or threatening other people
around that individual. ▪ Taking or damaging other people’s property

What is PSYCHOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION? 4. DANGEROUSNESS

“It is a psychological dysfunction within an individual that
▪ It refers to behaviors and feelings that can potentially
is associated with distress or impairment in functioning
lead to or cause harm to the individual or those around
and a response that is not culturally expected”
the individual

▪ It refers to symptoms of a psychological disorder that

4D’s of Abnormal Behavior lead to life or property being put at risk, either
accidentally or intentionally
1 . PSYCHOLOGICAL DYSFUNCTION
▪ These include suicidal behaviors and excessive
▪ It refers to behaviors and feelings that interfere with an aggression
individual’s ability to function in daily life, at the
workplace, or in close relationship
THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
▪ It simply means that it is a breakdown in cognitive,
emotional, or behavioral functioning
CLINICAL DESCRIPTION
▪ It is poor functioning that refers to both behavior and
relationships that aren't working and has one or more ▪ Represents a unique combination of behaviors,
negative, unhealthy aspects to them, such as poor thoughts, and feelings that make up a specific disorder
communication or frequent conflict
▪ Clinical
Examples:  it refers to both types of problems or disorders that
▪ Unable to cope with the demands of everyday life you would find in a hospital that is connected with
▪ Inability to perform the behaviors necessary for day-to- assessment or treatment.
day living  It describes and specify what makes the disorder
different from normal behavior

▪ Prevalence – It is the reported number of cases in the

2. PERSONAL DISTRESS OR IMPAIRMENT
entire population
▪ It is a state of emotional suffering associated with
▪ Incidence –Statistics on how many new cases occur
stressors and demands that are difficult to cope with in
during a given period
daily life
▪ Course – it is the development of the disorder. It also
▪ It is caused by behaviors and feelings that impact the
includes different symptoms, age of onset, and possibly a
individual or those around the individual
different sex ratio and prevalence
▪ It can be defined as anguish or suffering that we
▪ Prognosis – The anticipated course of a disorder
experience at different times in our lives

Example: You can be lazy or shy but if you are so shy that
you find it impossible to date or even interact with people TYPES OF CLINICAL COURSES
and you make every attempt to avoid interactions even
though you wanted to have friends, that is impairment ▪ Chronic course – means that they tend to last a long
time, sometimes a lifetime.
3. DEVIANCE
▪ Episodic course – means that the individual is likely to
recover within a few months only to suffer a recurrence
▪ It refers to highly unusual behaviors that stray far from
of the disorder at a later time.
the norm
▪ Time-limited course – means that the disorder will
improve without treatment in a relatively short period MOON AND STARS
with little or no risk of recurrence. ▪ Paracelsus (1493-1541) believed that the cause of
abnormal behavior is because of the movement of
moon and the stars
▪ He theorized that the gravitational effect of moon on
HISTORICAL CONCEPTIONS OF ABNORMAL bodily fluid may have caused mental disorders
BEHAVIOR ▪ Lunatic

▪ Humans have always supposed that agents outside our

THE BIOLOGICAL TRADITION
bodies and environment influence our behavior, thinking
▪ Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, suggested
and emotions
that mental disorders can be treated like any other
disease
▪ Divinities, demons, spirits and other phenomena
(moons)
▪ Brain injury
▪ Psychological and interpersonal disturbances
THREE TRADITIONS IN DETERMINING A DISORDER ▪ Galen, Roman Physician, adopted the ideas of
Hippocrates and developed it further
THE SUPERNATURAL TRADITION
▪ During the 14th century, abnormal behavior is Humoral Theory
considered a reflection of the battle between good and Believed that too much or too little of one of the
evil humors was the cause of the mental disorder

▪ If a person experiences abnormal behavior, then it is

caused by the devil

▪ They turned to magic and sorcery

Trephination
▪ A surgical intervention in which a hole is drilled or
scraped into the human skull to treat psychological
disorders
▪ It is done for the evil spirit to escape through it
▪ It was also believed to treat epileptic seizures and
migraines

Exorcism
It is a religious or spiritual practice in which various
religious rituals are performed in order to get rid the evil
spirits

▪ Individuals who exhibits unusual thoughts and

behaviors have been exiled from the society or worse

▪ While suspected witchcraft is punishable by death

E.g. Salem Witch Trials (17th Century)

▪ Stress and melancholy were recognized as an illness but

symptoms such as despair and lethargy are considered as
the sin of sloth

▪ People who are experiencing this kind of symptom were

treated with sleeping, resting, and having a healthy and LOBOTOMY
happy environment ▪ Portuguese neurologist António Egas Moniz invented
lobotomy in 1935
▪ Other treatments also included baths in ice-cold water, ▪ It is a procedure to severe nerve fibers in the brain
ointments, and various potions that connect the frontal lobe—the area of the brain
responsible for thinking—with other brain regions
▪ Some even hang the patient over a pit full of snakes to ▪ It purposely damage brain tissues in order to treat
scare the evil spirits out of their body mental illnesses
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
▪ Discovered that a mild and modest electric shock ▪ Franz Anton Mesmer – mesmerism and animal magnetism
produced a brief convulsion and memory loss but did ▪ Jean-Martin Charcot – known for his work on hypnosis and
hysteria
little harm
▪ Joseph Breuer – developed cathartic method (talking cure)
▪ His friend accidentally discovered a way of treating
▪ Sigmund Freud – developed free association and dream
depression analysis
▪ Electroconvulsive therapy was developed

It is used to treat people with: ▪ Jean-Baptiste Pussin started a remarkable reform by

▪ Epilepsy removing the chains use to restrain patients
▪ Catatonia
▪ Severe depression ▪ Encourage Philippe Pinel to go along with the change

▪ William Tuke followed Pinel in England

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TRADITION
▪ Facilities such as Asylums were built to house people ▪ Benjamin Rush introduced moral therapy at
with psychological disorders Pennsylvania Hospital

▪ Asylums in 16th Century were more like prison rather ▪ Dorothea Dix also campaigned for Mental Hygiene
than hospital Movement

▪ Patients were seen as a “burden” to society and locked

away BEHAVIORAL THEORY
▪ Ivan Pavlov – Classical Conditioning
▪ Moral Therapy was developed ▪ Joseph Wolpe – Systematic Desensitization
▪ B.F Skinner – Operant Conditioning
MORAL THERAPY ▪ Alber Bandura – Social Modeling
▪ It includes treating institutionalized patients as
normally as possible
▪ Patients were encouraged to have normal social
interaction
▪ Seclusion was also eliminated
▪ Patients were well cared for

▪ Jean-Baptiste Pussin started a remarkable reform by

removing the chains used to restrain patients

▪ Encourage Philippe Pinel to go along with the change

▪ William Tuke followed Pinel in England

▪ Benjamin Rush introduced moral therapy at

Pennsylvania Hospital

▪ Dorothea Dix also campaigned for Mental Hygiene

Movement

HOWEVER….

▪ After Civil War, a lot of people developed psychological

disorders

▪ Patients in hospitals increased to 1,000 or 2,000

▪ It was then that they realized that moral therapy can

worked best only when there is 200 or even fewer
patients

▪ Hospitals were inadequately staffed